Archives for December, 2007

Bill O’Reilly has declared victory in the secular humanist’s War on Christmas. “If I had not done the campaign, then the forces of darkness would have won” But O’Reilly did not do his homework. He did not know about the secret weapon… Start with gingerbread dough, put it through a pasta press, bake, decorate,…

This cartoon was written before intranasal orexin was developed, but the same idea applies: Provigil (modafinil) is thought to act on the orexin system to promote wakefulness. Indeed, it has attracted some attention due to its potential to increase productivity. Could the same effect — perhaps greater — be achieved with direct administration of orexin?

Mike Huckabee is on the warpath again. In Washington state, there has been an outbreak of psittacosis, a pulmonary infection caused by contact with imported birds that carry Chlamydophila psittaci bacteria. Responding to the outbreak, Huckabee decried the widespread practice of cockatiel-human fraternization. He said, citing Nymphicus 20:15, that persons who engage in such…

What would you do if a series of archaeological expeditions uncovered ancient texts that indisputably showed that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each independently quoted Jesus as having said that waterboarding is immoral?

I know people are complaining that I go too easy on political candidates. It is true. But with Mitt Romney, I will make an exception. I wanted to like Romney. George Wilcken Romney, Mitt Romney’s father, had a truly inspirational life. He was a Mexican immigrant who became a successful businessman. In fact, he…

I feel bad: I am infringing on Karmen’s territory. She put up a delightful fractal Christmas tree for everyone. And she opened the Chaotic Utopia Curio Shop to meet all of your fractal needs. Be sure to check it out, especially if you do not have the patience or skill to make these yourself: These…

Roche Molecular Diagnostics offers a test that can determine which type of genes a person has for enzymes that metabolize antidepressant medication. The test costs $ 300 to $400, and can be ordered by healthcare professionals, or by consumers. The idea is that it might be possible to predict which medications might be better for…